Archive for Trend Setter

One of my favorite things ever is when a client sits in my chair and tells me they’ve been considering a drastic change. Whether it’s a new haircut or a complete overhaul with their hair color, they all light a fire in me. Though I sometimes think I’m more excited than my clients to make this change, I will never just do so on a whim. Truth be told, a lot can happen to a person when they dramatically change their look, and I feel it’s my duty as a hairstylist to know when my client is 100% ready for this.

If you are considering doing something crazy, read my 5 tips first. These are some of the questions I ask my clients, and some of the important questions you need to ask your stylist before taking the plunge.

Before

After

1. How long have you been considering this change?

If you’ve been a brunette your whole life and randomly had a dream you became a bright blonde the morning of your hair appointment, you may want to sleep on it a little longer before jumping. Unless you’ve been thinking about making this dramatic change for some time, you may not mentally be ready for it!

Before & After Hair Extensions

2. What inspired this change? Was it something negative in your life?

Our hair is one of the things we actually have control of in our lives, and I’ve noticed that when someone is going through an emotionally difficult time, they turn to their hair to take it out on. Now this can be a great thing if you’ve always wanted to do something to your hair and once a weight was lifted from your life (ahem ahem) now it’s YOUR time to do so. But if you’re feeling down about yourself, hate your long obnoxious hair, and decide you want to chop it off Miley Cyrus style, you’re probably going to feel even worse when you look in the mirror. In my opinion, you should NEVER dramatically change your hair during an emotional time in your life. Trust me please!

Before

After

3. What will your new maintenance routine be?

Often times these dramatic changes require more maintenance. From frequent root touch ups to glossing your hair color to keep it vibrant, it may mean more time in the salon and more money. Be sure to chat with your hairstylist about this first, and then decide if it’s worth it to you. If it isn’t, maybe your stylist will have some low maintenance ideas that can better fit your lifestyle and fulfill your craving for a change.

Before blonde & After brunette

4. What if you don’t like the new color/cut? How hard is it to return to what you started with?

Color:

Generally speaking, dramatically changing your hair color requires a few steps, and may require even more steps to remove the color from your hair. It’s important to understand that YES eventually you can have your old color back, but it may not be exactly how it once was and it may take a few hair appointments to make it happen. This can also be drying or damaging to your hair, so it’s important to know that your hair will be strong enough to handle this amount of coloring.

Cut:

Once we chop your hair off unfortunately we can’t glue it back on! Growing out a botched haircut can be grueling and test your patience, so be sure you are ready for the change and trust your hairstylist to give you a cute style. If your hair is at least 4 inches long, hair extensions can be an option for you, but this comes with a hefty price tag.

Before extensions

After extensions

5. Will this new hair even look good on you?

Just because Jennifer Lawrence went from blonde to brunette and looks gorgeous doesn’t mean that it’s best for you. And just because Halle Berry looks super hot with short hair doesn’t mean you will too. This sounds kind of harsh, but it’s reality. Celebs have hair and make up artists on hand 24/7 and have the ability to always look their best. With hair color, you need to consider your skin tone and the make up you wear on a daily basis. If you don’t have the right tone of color in your hair it can actually wash your out or age you (future blog story to come on this topic).

Before & After

In conclusion, having a whole new hairstyle can be so uplifting and fun, but it just takes a little thought and research before doing it. Special thanks to my beautiful clients who have trusted me to make over their hair 🙂

Braids are undoubtedly one of the hottest trends this summer. They are perfect for dirty hair days or when it’s hot outside and you just don’t feel like fussing with it. Though some braided styles may seem impossible to create on your own hair, I have a technique I love that is easy and looks super cute…

My hair 🙂

How to recreate my braid:

1. Separate hair into 3 sections, per usual with a braid.

2. Braid 2 of your 3 sections into small braids and leave your third section as is.

3. Braid the 2 braids and the section you left out together loosely and secure with a hair tie.

4. Once secured in a hair tie, loosen your braid to make it look fat by gently pulling on each side of your braid and mushing it up.

Ever dreamed of highlighting your hair some fun bright color, but don’t have the guts to do it? Or maybe you have the guts, just don’t have the lifestyle to support this wild flair in your hair? What if I told you there is a way you can add some soft pink highlights in your fringe just for the day? Then maybe some purple within your layers, and a splash of blue, green, and aqua just at the tips and you can wash it out once you’re over it? This isn’t a dream, it is finally reality thanks to a new hot trend, Hair Shadowing. I recently wrote all about my experience with one of the shadow brands on the cutting edge for Latest Hairstyles. Learn all about it here!

Pastel Hair… You dig?

Katy Perry

Kate Bosworth

Lauren Conrad

Pastel hair can been seen on some of your favorite celebrities, and if you are thinking of doing something a little wild this Spring, maybe this hair color trend is for you. To learn more about this hair color craze, check out the story I wrote all about it for Latest Hairstyles here.

Ever wonder how every celebrity seems to have the most perfect hair? How is this possible? Is it even fair? Do you have to have perfect hair to become famous or something? Truth is, celebrities are people just like us, with thin, frizzy, frustrating hair, they just know how to mask it and make it look it’s best.

Check this article I wrote for Latest Hairstyles. I spill some secrets I’ve learned about the tricks celebs use to have full, long, luscious hair and bangs. And if you’re considering hair extensions, be sure to read this story before moving any further.

Golden blonde hair has been hot since last summer, but then got a little phased out by the ombre trend that everyone and their mom decided to rock. Now it’s time to throw some soft highlights back at the crown of your head, and add some brighter pops around your face. Not only does this do wonders for your skin tone, it can actually create more volume at your roots and be really flattering. If maintenance is a concern there are plenty of highlighting techniques your stylist can whip out to help your color grow out softly. *Note- Ombre isn’t out this season, however it’s evolving to something a bit more natural and soft. Think less “dipped” ends and more “kissed” ends.

A Chignon is a roll or knot of hair worn at the back of the head or especially at the nape of the neck. These sort of styles are perfect when the weather is hot. Loose, soft, romantic styles are not only easy, they are great for dirty hair days. All you need to do is spray a little hair powder at your roots, fluff it up, and create your own art.

If you’ve had the itch to chop your hair off, this might be the perfect time to do so. Short hair can be so sexy and effortless, invigorating and empowering. BUT if you aren’t sure if you are 100% ready for this dramatic transformation, don’t do it just yet. Plant the seed in your hairstylists ear, and together you will figure out when the right time is for your new hair.

Who doesn’t love a great blow out?! Whether you just visited the salon and your stylist gave you a bomb blowdry style, or you went to one of those Blow Dry Bar’s, I know you will do everything in your power to make that blow dry last as long as possible. Women skip work outs, they sleep sitting upright, and at times they may even skip taking a shower. No judgement here, I get it. Even I LOVE a good blow out and I love it even more when some one else does it for me.

Here’s EVERYTHING you need to know about how to make your blow dry style last…

Blow Dry with Volume and Curls

If your blow out has lots of volume and curls like Jennifer Lopez’s hair, your best bet is to sleep with your hair in a loose high bun and secure it with a spin pin or 2. Flip your head upside down and twist your hair on the top of your head. Wrap it around into a bun and screw these little pins into your hair.

What is a Spin Pin you ask? They are these little guys:

What’s great about spin pins is they won’t create any dents in your curls, and unlike bobby pins, you only need about 2 for even the thickest hair. You can buy these at Target or CVS. When you lets your hair down in the morning, shake it out and fluff it up. If you feel like you’ve lost your volume at the crown of your hair, don’t be afraid to tease it a bit. I prefer to tease hair with a boar bristle brush rather than a comb because it’s more gentle on the hair, and I actually feel it works much better.

What type of brush do I tease with? A Small Denman Boar Bristle is my favorite:

*You can purchase this brush at most beauty supply stores or online.

Now if you had some crazy dreams and awake to greasy hair you still have hope. Dry Shampoo (hair powder) is a life saver. Every girls needs this stuff! Not only does it absorb grease and oil, but it will help create volume within your hair as well. Put some at the roots of your hair before you tease and watch out! Your hair will get massive, and awesome…

Does Dry Shampoo actually clean your hair? NO, but who cares!

I’ve mentioned Khlorane before and I’ll mention it again. This is my favorite dry shampoo for many reasons. It doesn’t smell bad, it’s light and won’t make your hair feel tacky, and it won’t add color to your hair. You can purchase Khlorane at most high end beauty supply stores, and we happen to carry it at my salon, Román Salon.

Blow Dry with Loose Beachy Waves

Whitney Port’s look is actually pretty easy to maintain. Before bed, put your hair in a low, loose braid. If you have thick hair you may want to do 2 braids. The trick is you want to secure this braid with a SCRUNCHIE, yes a scrunchie. Once you take your hair out in the morning your waves will wake back up. Spritz a styling spray like Spray de Mode by Bumble and bumble if your hair needs some extra roughness and texture. If the mid shaft or ends of your hair are looking dull and blah, use a hair oil like Kérastase Elixir Ultime. P.S. They still sell scrunchies everywhere so go buy one, and maybe wear it on your wrist during the day if you’re feeling crazy 😉

Smooth and Straight Blow Dry

Jennifer Aniston is the queen of this sort of blow dry style. Yes she has the luxury of having someone style her hair daily, but you can actually recreate this look quite easily. The trick is maintaining some volume and movement at the crown of the head, but still making sure you don’t have dents or any frizziness at the ends.

To bring back that smooth fullness on top you will need 3 medium to large velcro rollers and a blow drier.

1. Grab your bang area and pull it straight up. Wrap the hair into the roller going away from your face. Roll it all the way down to your head and move on to the section right behind it repeat, and do the same with the following section behind that one.

2. Once your 3 rollers are set on top of your head you can put some heat to them with your blow drier for about 1-2 minutes. It’s best to have your blow drier on a low setting so it doesn’t blow your hair all over the place. The goal is to heat the hair up that’s sitting in the roller. Once they all feel warm you can stop with the drier and wait a few minutes to let the hair cool. Do not remove the rollers until the hair actually feels cool!

3. Spray the cooling hair with a light weight aerosol hairspray, like Shu Uemura Sheer Lacquer. While the rollers are cooling this is a perfect time to touch up the ends of your hair with a flat iron if it needs it. Put your flat iron on a low heat setting, and run it through the ends just a few times. Remove the rollers, flip your head upside down, shake it out, and smooth your hair with your fingers or a soft bristle brush. If you’re looking for a new blow drier or flat iron, check this blog post out: The Best (and affordable) Styling Tools.

And there you have it. Remember, if at first you don’t succeed try try again. Styling hair takes practice and patience, but it’s worth it to learn how to do this stuff on your own. Not only will you save money, you will look your best on a daily basis. Have at it ladies, and make me proud 🙂

Deep Coppery Rusty Red. Need I say more?

A coworker of mine first turned me on to these things and I instantly liked them. They are actual stickers that you fit to your nail. Once you stick them on you file off the tip, and you’re good to go. There’s no dry time, and best of all you can remove them with nail polish remover. They cost around $10 and you can buy them at any drug store. I’ve worn them twice now and they stayed looking pretty good for well over a week. My first time putting them on took about 20 minutes, but my second time only took 10. Seriously it easy and pretty damn cool.

Truth be told, a gel manicure can be great. No dry time, lasts nice for about 2 weeks, and is perfect for a vacation or special occasion. BUT with a $40 price tag, and how thin my nails started getting after doing gel, they aren’t my favorite. Not to mention I hated that I had to go to the salon to get the gel removed! It’s practically like having acrylic nails all over again and I despise the maintenance. If I go to get my nails done I want to be pampered and relax. I’d prefer to spend that $40 on a mani/pedi with extra massage thank you very much.